1L

Welcome to Corey Allen's study environment. Monday through Sunday, 6 in the morning till midnight.  

It’s a Friday night in Oxford, Mississippi and Corey Allen sips her coffee as she is sitting at home buried in her constitutional law textbook. Allen has been up since 6 a.m. and she is tiring.

Allen along with 199 of her fellow classmates at the University of Mississippi School of Law are in the midst of their two-week exam period.

Allen has an exam on Monday. One single exam that not only determines whether or not she passes the class, but determines her class ranking. Imagine being tested only once during a semester over 17 weeks of extremely detailed material. This exam is the most important criterion that will determine the future of a 1L.

A 1L is known as a first year law student. These students undergo several academic challenges. As for Allen, she is the youngest in her first year class and an alumnus of The University of Mississippi. The rigorous study schedule of a 1L has been extremely demanding and stressful for her.

An English major, Allen graduated in three years from The University of Mississippi. Before her undergraduate degree was completed, she made the decision to advance her education by applying for and was accepted into the University of Mississippi School of Law. Allen has adjusted well to the demanding academic criteria. One of the most difficult adjustments is studying for the exams, which occur only once a semester.

“Being an English major has had its pros and cons. Pros being I can use my writing skills and cons I’ve had to adapt my study habits differently,” says Allen. “I was used to reading books and writing papers on them, now I read cases and get tested on them once a semester,”

“I think the exam process, though highly pressured and stressful, is beneficial for law students because it prepares us for a stressful career,” says Catherine Servarti, a second year law student at the University of Mississippi School of Law. “My hat goes off to Corey for only being twenty-one and being in law school."

“Law school exams are traditionally just one exam at the end of the semester and that tradition has been around for a long time,” says Dean Richard Gershon, Dean of the Mississippi School of Law.

According to Dean Gershon, students are tested once a semester to examine their analytical abilities. These abilities are determined by several components the student must possess to be successful in a law program.

"These components you really can't see until the end of a semester in how they understand the material and simulate it all together," says Dean Gerson. "That's why the exams are a good way to review the material as a whole to tie it all together."

According to Allen, learning law is everything she expected,but wishes her professors would accept other type of grading standard.

“I wish there was at least one additional test during the middle of the semester so we could have something else to base our grade on,” says Allen.

“It’s almost like being thrown into a French class and someone is asking you to speak French even though you haven't had a lot of background in French,” says Allen.

“Going through one set of exams per semester during a two-week period is very stressful,” Allen says, “It is preparing me to work under stressful circumstances that in turn are preparing me for my career.”

“Learning the law my first year has consisted of; how to analyze situations, thinking on my own feet and taking a problem and looking on both sides of that problem,” says Allen. “These thinking processes are developing and training me to become what I eventually want to be.”

“The disadvantage of law school is that if you don't keep up throughout the entire semester and you try and cram before for the exam, it’s just never going to work" says Dean Gershon. You have an entire semester to assimilate, and that’s a lot of law.”

“Also, the biggest help has been from LexisNexis.com and Westlaw.com. We use these sites to find the law and to help us better understand the main concepts of each case or statute,” says Allen.

To further Allen goals she is working with Kevin Frye,Oxford's 2010-2011 Favorite Attorney.Kevin Frye , a criminal defense attorney, was voted favorite attorney by The Local Voice.

“Allen will be studying law from defense trails involving misdemeanors and felonies in the Oxford area,” says Attorney Frye.

“The advice I would give to new 1L students for next year is you have to keep up. Time management skills, attending study groups or anything else that will keep you on top of it,” says Allen.

Dean Gershon encourages all 1L students to keep abreast of and be diligent in their study of law. Hopefully, each student will follow Allen's example and be well prepared for their exams. So, Allen, grab another cup of coffee and assimilate that knowledge. The one exam tradition lives on.

Dean Richard Gershon 662915-6900

Kevin Frye 6622590050


Corey Allen 6012097488

Catherine Servati 6623227644